Trackless trolley



,F'ek 17. 1925 1,526,379

w. scHAAKE Tucxmzss momm filed Nev 9, 1921 WITNESSES: INVENTOR la f/l'am Schaake swagmm, g

ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 17, 1925.

UNITED",

res

WILLIAM SCHAAKE, OF FITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, .llElSIGNOlPt TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING CDTJHE'A A COEPOI'BIATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

TRACKLESS TROLLEY.

Application filecl November To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM SorIAAKn,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trackless Trolleys, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to current collectors and, particularly, to means for mounting a plurality of contact devicesupon a single supporting member.

My invention is designed especially for employment in connection with trolley busses or traclrless trolleys wherein contact membersor current collectors are employed to co-operate with a pair of trolley wires. When such collectors are mounted upon a single pole, provision must be made to permit the vehicle to turn from its normal path of movement, while, at the same time, retaining the current collectors in engagement with their respective trolley wires.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved and simplified form of multiple-contact structure whereby engagement between the contact members and the trolley wires will be efliciently maintained, notwithstanding deviations in the path traveled by the vehicle upon which the contact members are mounted.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of my trolley pole in front elevation,

Fig. 2 is a view thereof in side elevation, and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of" the positions assumed by various portions of the mechanism under certain conditions of operation. Y

I provide a pole at that maybe mounted upon the roof of a vehicle (not shown) upon a swivel base and normally biased upwardly in the usual manner.

The pole carries, at its upper end, a pair of arms 5 and 6 that are pivoted at 7 and 8, respectively, for movement in a direction transversely of the pole 4.

The arms 5 and 6 carry, at their upper ends, swivels 9 and 10, respectively, in which are supported trolley wheels 11 and 12 that co-operate with a pair of trolley wires 13 and 14. The arms 5 and 6 are guided and maintained in properly spaced relation to the longitudinal center line of the pole i y the required movement to accommodate the,

9, 1921. Serial No. 513,869.

by means of equalizing linltmembers 16 that are connected to lugs 17 of the arms 5 and 6. The other ends of the links 16 are pivotally connected to a yoke member 18 that enil'n'aces the pole l and has sliding engagement therewith. The yoke 18 is engaged, at its opposite sides, by springs 19 and 20 that encircle the pole 1 and abut fixed collars 22 and 23 respectively. The springs 19 and 20 tend to yieldingly maintain the yoke 18 at a point midway between the collars 22 and 23, but if, during the operation of the vehicle, a place in the line were reached where the wires 13 and 141 were in abnormal spaced relation with re spect to one another, the arms 5 and 6 could move toward or away from each other, as might be required to adjust themselves to the spacing of the wires,-moving against either the tension of the spring 20, in case the wires were abnormally near each other, or against the compression of the spring 19, in case the wires were spaced further apart than normal.

It will be observed that, by reason of the link connection, the arms 5 and 6 will each move halt the distance required-to accommodate the positions of the current colleetors to those oi? their associated trolley wires. 1 a

The arms 5 and 6 are each made in two spaced sections that are joined by insulating connections 2 1, and flexible current conductors are connected to the upper ends of the arms 5 and 6 and thence lead down, through the trolley pole 4, to the apparatus within the trolley earl It the arms 5 and 6 were movable inde' pendently, it would sometimes happen that current collectors to the lateral spacing of the wires would be made by one arm alone, in which case the trolley pole and its current collectors would be thrown out of balance and consequent liability of displace ment of the current collectors.

In order to prevent entanglement ot the apparatus with the wires 13 and 14, and consequent short circuits, should the wheels leave the wires, I provide a bar 27 of insulating material that is loosely supported, by chains 28 and 29, from the upper ends of the arms 5 and 6.

Fig. 3 shows the positions occupied by the trolley pole and the current collectors tain their parallelism with the trolley wires.

In this case also it will be observed that though the spacing between the wires 13- and 1% is normal, the distance between the trolley wheels 11 and 12 is increased, by reason of the diagonal position of the trolley pole with respect to the trolley wires, and here, again, the advantage of having the current collectors mounted upon the pivoted arms 5 and 6 is apparent.

lVhat I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination with a trolley pole, of a pair of arms, each ii'icunted at one end to the pole for movement transversely thereof and at its opposite end provided with a. current collector. a barrier disposed between the arms, and flexible connections between the barrier and the arms.

2. The combination with a trolley pole, of a pair of arms, each mounted at one end to the pole for movement transversely thereof and at its opposite end provided with a current collector. a barrier disposed between the arms, and an extensible connect-ion between the barrier and one of the arms.

The combination with a trolley pole, of a pair of arms, each mounted at one end to the pole tor movement transversely thereof and at its opposite end providedwith 2 current collector, a barrier disposed between the arms, 1 nnectio'ns between the barrier and th arms, and means for permitting t arms to more relatively to each other.

4. The combinationwitha trolley pole, of a pair of arms, each mounted at one end to the pole for movement transversely thereof and at itsopposite end provided with a current collector, a barrier disposed between the arms, connections between the barrier and the arms, and means for permitting the ari'ns to move relatively to each other in a direction transversely of the pole.

5. The combination with a pair of independently movable current collector supports and a collector carried by each, of a barrier disposed therebetween adjacent to n lo the collectors and having flexible connections with the supports.

6. The combination with a pair oi inde pendently movable current collector supports and a collector carried by each, of a barrier disposed therebetween adjacent to he collectors and having an extensible c011 nection with one of the said supports.

7. The combination with a trolley pole, of a pair of upwardly extending contact-carrying arms supported thereby, and a barrier disposed between the upper ends of the arms.

8. The combination with a trolley pole, of a pair of upwardly extending contact-carrying arms supported thereby, and a barrier loosely supported between the upper ends of the arms.

9. The combination with a trolley pole, of a pair of upwardly extending contact-carrying arms pivotally supported by the pole and a barrier connected to the upper ends of the said arms.

lb. The coi'nbination with a trolley pole, oi a pair or upwardly extending contactcarry-ing arms pivotally supported by the pole. a barrier disposed between the upper ends ot-the arms, and a loose connection between the barrier andone of the said arms.

ll; The combination with a trolley pole,

of a pair ol upwardly extending contactcarrying arms pivotally supported by the pole, a barrier supported by the arms, and a connection for permitting those portions or" the respective arms adjacent to the barrier to move relatively to each other.

The combination with a trolley pole, of a pair of upwardly extending contactcarrying arms supported thereby, and a semi-rigid barrier disposed between the upper ends of the arms.

13. The combination with a trolley pole, of pair of upwardly extending contact carrying arms supported thereby, and a bar loosely supported between the upper ends of the arms.

in testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 2nd day of November, l92l.

WILLIAM SCHAAKE. 

